Virtuous: Redemption

Chapter 2: Betrayal

It had only been days since the Daughter of Eve had been spotted and Queen Jadis's following was aflutter with excitement for the advantage they now had. Each soldier trained a little harder, Sara the hardest. She sparred and sparred until she couldn't hold her sword any longer.

Sara found herself very irritated to be pulled away from a fight, but the Queen requested her presence in the throne room as soon as possible.

"You summoned me?" Sara said as she entered the throne room, displaying a new gown. She hoped the Queen might be impressed by the shining silver accents spiraling across the smooth blue fabric and the long, thin cape that trailed behind her. It was truly a dress fitted for a princess, and Sara hoped that's the business she had been called here on.

"What took you so long?" The Queen's tone was cold.

Sara let her eyes drop. "I'm sorry. I was just returning from sparring and I wanted to—"

"No matter," Jadis dismissed the delay, "Ginarrbrik is readying my sleigh. I am going to attend some business in the Western Woods and I want you to interrogate Tumnus while I am gone. My hope is that a week in the dungeons will have been enough time to break him down. I want you to see if you can find any information about where the girl went."

Sara nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Ginarrbrik entered the throne room and removed his hat. "Your sleigh awaits, My Queen."

She stood and nodded to the dwarf, looking back to Sara. The Queen's heavy gaze washed over her only once. "I hope you are not overdressed for your task." With that, she turned and left.

A little deflated, Sara changed into something more practical, a tunic and trousers. She took a moment to look in the mirror, examining her reflection as she tied her pale hair out of her face. Her icy blue eyes, once bright and filled with joy, appeared sunken and more empty than she recalled. Shrugging off the way her once soft frame now seemed hardened and tired, she attached her sword and scabbard to her belt before heading toward the dungeons.

The only sound in the dungeon beyond Sara's light footsteps was the ragged breathing of a few prisoners. Some of them gazed up at Sara in fear, not sure when fate would lead them to the same end as their inmate from a few days previous. When she reached Tumnus' cell at the end, she peered inside.

Tumnus was curled up in the corner of his chamber. Every so often a chill would shake his body, the only other evidence of life being the breaths that made his shoulders tremble.

"Tumnus."

Sara watched him turn over ever so slowly and push himself to a sitting position. He leaned heavily on one hand. His other shook a little as he reached for his cup of water, only to appear defeated when its contents were frozen solid.

"The Queen is disappointed in you," she began. "You betrayed us, Tumnus."

His tired eyes landed on Sara. "Jadis never has and never will be my queen."

"You don't get a say in whether she is or isn't your queen."

"Aslan is the one and only rightful ruler of Narnia and you know that," he spat. His voice and expression softened to that of pity. "She's lying to you. You're fighting for the wrong side, Sara."

Strange that he seemed to pity her when he was the one dying on the floor of a frozen jail cell.

"Where's the Daughter of Eve, Tumnus?"

"I sent her home."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "She said she came from a strange place called Spare Oom. I think she may have been pulling my leg."

"Spare Oom?"

"Yes."

"What else did she tell you?" Sara questioned, crossing her arms and stepping closer to the icy bars of the cell.

"I won't betray her like that."

"I could be your queen one day, Tumnus. You will not want to be on my bad side when I am ruling Narnia." Sara held Tumnus' gaze.

He stared back, holding his ground. "You forget are a child, Sara."

"You have no right to disrespect me!" Sara snapped.

Tumnus' tone remained calm, his voice not wavering. The look in his eyes showed sadness and sympathy. "The Witch is manipulating you. She doesn't intend to make you a queen."

"Shut up."

"No, Sara, I'm trying to warn you! Once you are no longer useful to her she's going to kill you! She'll do the exact same thing to that little girl, too, if they cross paths. You must get out while you still can!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! I will be a queen and you will not stop me!" She turned and left abruptly, drawing her sword to go find a goblin to let out her anger on.

Later that evening, Sara sat up against her bedroom wall bandaging her hand. She grumbled to herself about goblins needing formal training to fight, reflecting on the one who clipped her finger with its dagger.

Maybe if the armory offered more than curved or crooked daggers the goblins would be better fighters. They have no sense of balance anyway, so giving them an imbalanced weapon was a stupid decision anyway. They would be totally useless to the Queen when they fight Aslan's army. It's a good thing they have the minotaurs on their side. They certainly give an advantage.

While Sara was lost deep in her bitter thoughts, a harsh knock came to her door.

"Come in," she called.

Two cyclopes threw the door open and marched toward her. She didn't have time to ask what was going on before they seized her by the arms and dragged her from her room.

They took her down the many staircases--with some struggle--to the throne room where Jadis was seated. She stood immediately as the cyclopes threw Sara onto the floor at the Queen's feet.

Sara remained on her knees and bowed her head. "Your Majesty."

"Stand up."

Sara pushed herself to her feet, trembling a little at the Queen's heated countenance.

"Your services are no longer required. I'll let you choose your fate if you wish."

Sara's heart was pounding, the gaze of everyone around her weighing her down like a thousand stones. "I-I don't understand."

"It appears I was mistaken about you, Sara Sullivan. You are not who I thought you were." Her Highness paced in front of Sara. "I met a Son of Adam in the woods today. Do you want to know what he told me?"

Sara took a step back.

"Do you?" Jadis cried.

Sara gave a small nod, her words jumbled and stuck in her throat.

"He told me he has one brother and two sisters. Do you know how many children that is, Sara? How many?"

"F-four, Your Highness."

"Exactly. Do you know what that means for you, child?"

"I'm not a child!" Sara snapped.

"You are a child! A silly little girl," Jadis retorted. "If it weren't for me, you would have frozen to death out there in the snow all those years ago. I spared you that day."

"I still don't understand. I can help you bring the rest of them here, keep them from the Narnians."

The Queen shook her head. "I said your services are no longer needed. You will not live to see the sunset tomorrow. Guards, take her to the prisons."

The cyclopes seized her again and began dragging her toward the dungeon.

"No, please! I can still help you! I'm your best warrior! Your Highness, please!" Sara shouted protests, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled against the cyclopes' grasp.

"You are a little girl, Sara. You were never a warrior."